How to Run Inclusive Meetings: Creating Space for Quiet Voices and Better Decisions

✨ One of the great things about my job is learning, learning, learning about inclusion. I never stop.

In our programmes, one of the most fertile areas of discovery is when we ask delegates to co-create inclusive solutions for moments and places that are often anything but inclusive – for example meetings.

One phrase we use often is this:

👉 If you have quiet voices in the room, change the way the meeting is run rather than coaching or mentoring them to speak up.

Because here’s the truth: when those quieter, often minority, voices aren’t heard, we don’t just miss a contribution – we miss perspectives that challenge groupthink, ideas shaped by different lived experiences, and insights that could prevent blind spots.

One of the most powerful solutions we hear again and again is leaders speak last. It sounds simple, but it changes the dynamic completely. Suddenly, space opens up for new voices and different thinking.

And when you pair that with small structural changes – rotating roles, using anonymous input tools, pausing to reflect, appointing an inclusion spotter – the meeting stops being about who talks loudest and becomes about what ideas are strongest.

💡 Inclusive meetings aren’t just “nicer” meetings. They lead to better decisions, smarter strategies, and more innovative outcomes.

👉 What’s one small change you’ve seen that helps bring quiet voices into the conversation?